Dave & Buster’s Entertainment (NASDAQ:PLAY) CFO Purchases $26,000.00 in Stock

Dave & Buster’s Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAY) CFO Cory Hatton purchased 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 28th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $6.50 per share, for a total transaction of $26,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 104,475 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $679,087.50. This represents a 3.98% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Dave & Buster’s Entertainment Stock Down 1.7%

Dave & Buster’s Entertainment stock opened at $6.38 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 17.07, a current ratio of 0.30 and a quick ratio of 0.21. The company’s 50-day moving average is $9.01 and its 200-day moving average is $10.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $222.22 million, a PE ratio of -2.48 and a beta of 1.82. Dave & Buster’s Entertainment, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $6.37 and a fifty-two week high of $22.10.

Dave & Buster’s Entertainment (NASDAQ:PLAY) last issued its earnings results on Monday, September 14th. The restaurant operator reported ($0.27) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.19 by ($0.46). Dave & Buster’s Entertainment had a negative net margin of 4.26% and a negative return on equity of 51.87%. The firm had revenue of $544.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $556.83 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.32 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Dave & Buster’s Entertainment, Inc. will post -1.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Dave & Buster’s Entertainment News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Dave & Buster’s Entertainment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CFO Cory Hatton purchased 4,000 shares at an average price of $6.50, increasing his direct ownership by approximately 4%. The insider purchase may signal management confidence that the stock has been oversold. Dave & Buster’s Insider Purchase
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its Q1 2029 EPS estimate to $0.56 from $0.36, but this improvement was outweighed by broader reductions to its forecasts and a continued “hold” or “strong sell” view.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks cut estimates for FY2027 EPS to $(1.57) from $(1.18), FY2028 EPS to $(1.49) from $(1.09), and FY2029 EPS to $(0.83) from $(0.81). Estimates for several quarterly periods were also reduced, including Q2 2028, Q3 2028 and Q2 2029, reinforcing concerns about a slower recovery. Zacks Downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Moody’s reportedly cut Dave & Buster’s outlook to negative because of a sales slump, adding pressure to the company’s credit profile and turnaround prospects. Moody’s Outlook Revision
• Negative Sentiment: The company’s latest reported quarter showed a $0.27 per-share loss, revenue below consensus and a 2.4% year-over-year revenue decline. Analysts currently expect a full-year loss of roughly $1.39 per share.

Institutional Trading of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Tidal Investments LLC acquired a new position in Dave & Buster’s Entertainment in the 2nd quarter valued at $182,000. Engineers Gate Manager LP lifted its holdings in shares of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment by 200.7% during the second quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 537,254 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $6,125,000 after buying an additional 358,588 shares in the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment by 289.7% during the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 131,168 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,495,000 after buying an additional 97,507 shares in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in shares of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment in the second quarter valued at about $141,000. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC bought a new stake in shares of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment in the second quarter valued at about $353,000. 91.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on PLAY shares. Citizens Jmp began coverage on shares of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment in a research report on Monday, June 29th. They set a “market perform” rating for the company. Zacks Research lowered shares of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on shares of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment from $22.00 to $13.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, September 15th. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment from $12.00 to $9.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, September 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Dave & Buster’s Entertainment has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $17.33.

Dave & Buster’s Entertainment Company Profile

Dave & Buster’s Entertainment, Inc (NASDAQ: PLAY) is an entertainment and dining company that operates venues combining arcade games, sports viewing, food and beverages, and social experiences. Its Dave & Buster’s locations are designed for adults and families and offer interactive games, prize redemption, casual dining, full-service bars, and space for group events and parties.

The company also operates Main Event, a family entertainment brand offering bowling, arcade games, laser tag, virtual reality attractions, and food and beverages.